FMCSA to Establish Regulatory Guidelines Regarding Sleep Apnea

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is studying the effect of sleep apnea and the potential impact on truck drivers.

Sleep apnea is most often caused by a blockage of a person’s air passageway, most commonly when the soft tissue in the throat collapses and closes during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea can repeatedly stop breathing during their sleep – often for a minute or longer.

"Drivers with severe sleep apnea are at greater risk of being involved in a crash," says Anne Ferro, chief of the FMCSA. Ferro contends that sleep apnea promotes fatigue, and fatigue is estimated to be an associated factor in 13 percent of all truck crashes and 28 percent of single vehicle crashes.

The FMCSA is considering recommendations from the Medical Review Board that suggest that all drivers should be tested for sleep apnea. However, it acknowledges that more scientific data linking sleep apnea to driver safety is required before it would recommend barring a driver from certification.

Schneider National, J.B. Hunt, and Coastal Pacific Xpress are companies that have implemented or are developing a sleep apnea program without waiting on regulations. Don Osterberg, senior vice president of safety at Schneider said, “The real objective is to improve the welfare and safety not only of our own drivers but the motoring public as well.”

Read a news piece on sleep apnea and trucking safety.